News
Senate body asks Power Ministry relief to consumers on over-billing
By Ahmad Ahmadani
ISLAMABAD: Perturbing over sending over-billing to power consumers, Senate body on Wednesday directed Ministry of Water and Power to give relief to the masses during next month by making adjustments and submit a report in this regard.
Senate standing Committee meeting on Water and Power Senator Zahid Khan in chair constituted a sub committee under Zahid Khan.
Members of the Committee expressed serious annoyance on over-billing of electricity. They said life of poor masses has been made miserable.
Managing Director Peshawar Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Imran Ahmed termed billing without meter reading as a criminal act. He said power ministry was busy in improving billing system.
Senator Hamayoon Mandokhel said the government has no answer to over-billing. Article 6 should be imposed on all those who are involve in over-billing, Mandokhel said.
He said they would burn copies of electricity bills. Upon this additional Secretary water and power ministry Sohail Akbar Shah suggested to burn the original bills instead of burning copies of the electricity bills to make it aware of the concerned one.
Senator Shahi Syed was of the view due to such acts (over-billing) Tahirul Qadri was holding sit-in against the government. He said though we all live in a country, different tariff is being collected from the masses by adopting different methods.
Senate body expressed displeasure over the approval of high tariff for coal power plants. The body summoned water and power minister to appear in next meeting.
Chairman Senate body recommended an inquiry to know revision in which coal power tariff was sought from National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). Senator Yusuf Leghari said tariff, which was approved by the NEPRA was one of the tallest tariff in the world. From past two years NEPRA is without its regular chairman but the government did not feel the sensitivity of the matter, he said.
Member NEPRA Khawaja Muhammad Naeem advised all power distributing companies (DISCOs) to file reading of the electricity meters with the help of software. With this, over-billing will witness an end, he said.
During course of the meeting, Senate body reviewed transmission lines of Neelum-Jehlum project, Golan Gol project and power tariff.
MD National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) said three bids had been done for the transmission line project of Neelum-Jehlum. He said bids/tenders remained low against the expectations and Rs 16 billion was made as total cost of the project.
Zahid Khan said tenders for transmission line were cancelled on the advice of Senate body. He said initially NTDC decided cost of first contract as Rs 23 billion but on the intervention of the committee Rs 7 billion loss was avoided.
Senator Nisar Khan said standing committee would monitor the Neelum-Jehlum Transmission Line Project.
Raising voice against water shortage in Balochistan province, Senator Saif Ullah Magsi said water situation was worse as the province was not receiving its due share. He accused Sindh province was using Balochistan’s share of water. No work is carried out on Nolong and Kachhi anal projects, Saif Ullah Magsi deplored.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk